Unidentified Australian soldiers (some probably gunners) in a sand bagged gun pit with 'C' gun, ...

Unidentified Australian soldiers (some probably gunners) in a sand bagged gun pit with 'C' gun, 105 Field Battery, at the 1st Australian Task Force Base, Nui Dat. The gun is an Italian made 105 mm L5 Pack Howitzer, a type used by Australian artillery units during the early years of the Vietnam war. They were light enough to be lifted by a UH-1 Iroquois helicopter and, could be transported inside an M113A1 Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC). To make these guns lighter and more manoeuvrable, the protective shields were generally removed, as shown here. To the left of the gun pit, is the canvas covered, sunken ammunition bay and next to this is a parked M113A1 APC with two crew members and a .50 calibre Browning M2 heavy machine gun visible. One of the soldiers standing in the gun pit (left) is armed with a 9 mm Owen machine carbine and another soldier leaning on the gun is armed with a 7.62 mm L1A1 self-loading rifle. The L5 Pack Howitzer could fire a variety of shell types, including high explosive, high explosive squash head, smoke and illumination out to a maximum range of 10,000 metres. This gun fired in support of Australian troops in 1965 - 1966, including the battle of Long Tan, and is now part of the National Collection held by the Australian War Memorial.

• A sand bagged gun pit with 'C' gun, 105 Field Battery, at the 1st Australian Task Force Base, Nui ...
• A sand bagged gun pit, used by 105 Field Battery, at the 1st Australian Task Force Base, Nui Dat, ...
• Inside a sunken ammunition bay used by 'C' gun, 105 Field Battery, Royal Australian Artillery, to ...
• 61367 Sergeant (Sgt), Ian Charles Morley, the Gun Sergeant for 'C' gun, 105th Field Battery, ...
• Inside the sunken ammunition bay used by 'C' gun, 105 Field Battery, Royal Australian Artillery. ...